Garm (Earth-616)
, Fiercest of Hounds , Gorm, the Hel-Hound, Hound of Hela | Identity = Public | Affiliation = | Relatives = Thori (son) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Hel | Gender = Female | Height = 40' | Height2 = (at the shoulder) | Weight = 8000 lbs | Eyes = Yellow | Eyes2 = (no visible iris or pupil) | Hair = Brown | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = Hel | MaritalStatus = | Occupation = Guardian of the entrance to Hel, servant of Hela | Education = | Origin = | PlaceOfBirth = | Creators = Steve Englehart; John Buscema | First = Thor Annual #5 | Quote = | Speaker = | HistoryText = Garm is an enormous wolf who guards the entrance to Hel, the Asgardian land of the dead, in the service of the death goddess Hela. Sometimes chained to the entrance itself, she permits anyone to enter but is covered in the blood of the many who have tried to escape. It is prophesied that at Ragnarok she will break his chains and devour Tyr, the god of war, but be killed herself as well. The Asgardian warrior Greyval Grimson visited Hel during a quest to retrieve the lost Raven Banner, a mystical item that ensured victory in battle. He met Gram at Hel's entrance, and was permitted to pass. Later, after Loki arranged for Balder the Brave to be struck by an enchanted arrow, Garm witnessed Balder's descent into Hel. But though Balder's soul had entered the land of the dead, his body was kept alive by Odin's magic. Against impossible odds, Balder fought his way past Garm and legions of Hela's forces and returned to the land of the living. When Hela stole many mortal souls from Earth, Thor led an expedition to retrieve them and return them to their rightful bodies. Thor, along with Balder, the Einherjar, and Skurge the Executioner, met Garm at Hel's entrance. Garm permitted them to cross into the land of the dead but warned she would not be so kind should she see them again. After Thor defeated Hela and retrieved the souls, Garm sought to prevent the heroes' escape. Thor knocked Garm unconscious with a blow from his hammer, Mjolnir, and led his victorious forces back to Asgard. Soon after, Thor employed the Destroyer armor and returned to force Hela to lift a curse she had place on him. Garm defended her mistress but was easily struck down by the powerful Destroyer, and Hela acquiesced to Thor's demands. Hela later used a spell to control the Asgardian Valkyrior as part of her plan to conquer Asgard. This brought her into conflict with the New Mutants, who found the spell had affected one of their own. As Garm watched the Valkyries lead several captured New Mutants into Hel, her appearance unnerved Wolfsbane, who perceived her as a dark reflection of her own nature. In a subsequent plot, Hela tried to control the Destroyer armor only to have it possessed by the spirit of the departed Asgardian goddess Lorelei. Using the armor, Lorelei imprisoned Hela within a crystal and encased Garm in solid rock when she tried to defend her. When Sif and Balder arrived in Hel searching for the recently-exiled Thor, Garm informed them of what had transpired and directed them to a sword that could free Hela. Sif and Balder prevailed when the Destroyer fell into a pit of great beasts, freeing Hela and Garm from their imprisonment. Hela later instilled the Destroyer with the consciousness of both Garm and the artificial Donald Blake construct and sent the armor to Earth to gain vengeance on Thor. With Garm's mind dominant, the Destroyer fought both Thor and Thunderstrike, getting the better of them until the Donald Blake construct's will asserted itself, causing the Destroyer armor to stall momentarily. Thor and Thunderstrike took advantage and struck the Destroyer down, sending Garm's consciousness back to Hel. Later, when Kurse temporarily took control of Hel, he defeated Garm before taking a legion of undead monsters to the surface to search for his enemy, Malekith. Garm played a small role in Kurse's downfall, aiding the lady Sif in alerting Hela, who recalled her minions back to the underworld. At the conclusion of this crisis, Hela coerced Thor into becoming her servant, leading Balder and the Hulk to Hel to rescue him. Garm fought against Balder while the Hulk and Thor battled across Hel. Hela was eventually convinced to release Thor from her service, and he and the Hulk knocked Garm unconscious to aid Balder before departing. Garm later perished alongside all of Asgard during Ragnarok. Her status since the return of the Asgardians remains unclear. | Powers = | Abilities = Garm is of immense stature and possesses great strength. She has powerful jaws full of sharp teeth and an extremely acute olfactory sense, allowing her to perceive the presence of beings invisible to the eye. Though Her form is that of a wolf, she possesses human level intelligence. She is completely loyal to Hela and will gladly rip to pieces anyone who tries to escape the land of the dead. | Strength = | Weaknesses = She has sometimes been chained to the entrance of Hel, thereby limiting her mobility, but has at other times stood unchained beside Hela herself. | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = }} Category:Animals Category:Dogs